Validation and application of a module of the M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory for measuring multiple symptoms in patients with gastrointestinal cancer (the MDASI-GI)

Cancer. 2010 Apr 15;116(8):2053-63. doi: 10.1002/cncr.24920.

Abstract

Background: The M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI) was developed as a brief yet comprehensive tool to assess patient-reported symptom severity and interference in patients with cancer. The authors report the development of an MDASI module for use in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer (the MDASI-GI).

Methods: Patients with GI cancer (N = 184) participated in module development and validation. The process included: 1) generating GI-specific candidate items with input from GI oncologists and from qualitative interviews with patients and adding those items to the core MDASI for testing; 2) dropping candidate GI items that lacked sensitivity; 3) validating the psychometric properties (validity, reliability, sensitivity) of the resulting MDASI-GI; and 4) conducting cognitive debriefing interviews with patients to confirm the questionnaire's ease of comprehension, relevance, and acceptability.

Results: Five GI-specific symptom items (constipation, diarrhea, difficulty swallowing, change in taste, and feeling bloated) were added to the original 19 MDASI symptom and interference items to form the MDASI-GI. Sixty-one percent of the sample had 1 or more moderate-to-severe symptom(s) (>or=5 on a severity scale from 0 to 10). Cronbach alpha values were .80 and .87 for symptom severity items and interference items, respectively. Known-group validity (sensitivity) was supported by the ability of the MDASI-GI to detect significant differences in symptom and interference levels according to performance status (P < .001). Cognitive debriefing demonstrated that, for patients, the MDASI-GI was an easy-to-use and understandable tool.

Conclusions: The current results indicated that the MDASI-GI is a valid, reliable, and concise tool for measuring symptom severity and interference with function in patients with GI cancer.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Female
  • Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Health Status Indicators*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Psychometrics / methods*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires